The value of obtaining regular physical exercise is constantly stressed. Both cardiovascular and resistance or isometric exercise are important to physical and mental well-being. Unfortunately, however, following an exercise regimen is difficult for most people. Often, those who most need such exercise are in sedentary occupations, such as professional and business persons, and they are more likely to find it difficult to adhere to an exercise program.
Nevertheless, those who are dedicated to a weekly schedule of workouts may belong to health clubs or may invest in one or more of the many excellent types of exercise machines which are commercially available today for home installation and use. These machines range from large, complex apparatus with weights, pulleys and cables and multiple workout stations, like Nautilus machines, to less bulky but still stationary machines using resilient rods or elastic bands and essentially one workout station, like the Bowflex machine, to more specialized equipment which concentrate on limited muscle groups but still may not be compact enough to be portable.
Even the dedicated individuals who use health clubs or invest in home exercise equipment and embark on a planned exercise program, however, are frustrated and discouraged when they must interrupt their weekly workout routine because of travel requirements or desires. Not only business and professional people are affected here, but retirees and many others. A few days, a week, or more of absence from workouts may mean a setback in a routine and, for many, a total break in a newly developed habit.
Portable exercise devices have been developed in an effort to satisfy such needs of those who want to workout while traveling or when otherwise away from their home-based equipment. The known portable devices, however, lack certain features desirable in such portable equipment. Such a portable device needs to be easy to use, to carry, check-in, or store, and otherwise be compatible with ordinary luggage. Many people would prefer that their portable exerciser be unobtrusive and look like regular luggage. Since the device will probably be used in a hotel or motel room in the evenings, it must be simple and not subject to breakdown or need for repair. Of prime significance, the portable device should be compatible with home-based or health club equipment, such as Nautilus equipment or the Bowflex "Power Pro" Strength Training System disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,620,704, and ideally should enable the same or similar workouts as are performed at home or the club so that the exercise routine can continue uninterrupted.